How and when did chocolate become the flavor of choice for Valentine’s Day? If you don’t get your sweetheart a box of chocolates for the holiday, are you a terrible person?
For the second question, I think that really depends on your sweetheart. But the first has a real answer. Let’s travel back in time to the 1800s. Sugar had become a common commodity, and once-rare chocolate enjoyed by the elite was more affordable. British chocolatier Richard Cadbury (yes, the maker of Creme Eggs was a real person) realized women would swoon over heart-shaped keepsake boxes of chocolates.
His idea proved to be incredibly lucrative, and you can thank Cadbury for the walls of red hearts lining grocery store shelves around Valentine’s Day.
These days, chocolate is associated with its antioxidant activity, and some studies suggest it can even protect heart health and lower stress. If you’re looking for a way to justify your chocolate cravings, science has the answer for you.
So does the Petoskey area. We can provide you with numerous purveyors to satisfy your sweet tooth and get you prepped for a special day with your Valentine, Galentine, Pal-entine, or yourself. Yes, you can be your own Valentine!
We even have a festival to celebrate one of the world’s most beloved flavors! The Petoskey Chocolate Crawl, hosted by local businesses in February before Valentine’s Day, introduces downtown visitors to an array of delectable chocolate treats. (Dates are TBD for 2026 Chocolate Crawl)
Alpine Chocolat Haus
Oh, Alpine Chocolat Haus. This is Boyne City’s premier location to find chocolatey treats.
Those elusive chocolate-covered strawberries that make the perfect Valentine’s gift? You can find them for a limited time at Alpine Haus, along with so many other delectable concoctions.
If your Valentine has a hankering for chocolate-covered candies, look no further. Alpine Haus carries Oreos, peanut butter wafer cookies, espresso beans, candied orange, and other tasty treats, all enrobed in dark and/or milk chocolate.
For a traditional Valentine’s treat, they carry elegant boxes filled with your choice of truffles, cream-filled confections, caramels, nuggets, and meltaways. Be sure to check out their sugar-free options for recipients with dietary restrictions.
Chocolate-covered pretzels, candied apples, brittle, bark, fudge, marshmallows, and the mysterious seafoam: Alpine Haus carries it all.
This is just a tiny selection of the chocolates Alpine Chocolat Haus has waiting for you. It’s hard to pick, but their truffles and chocolate-covered Oreos are excellent…along with everything else. Photo credit: Jen DeMoss
American Spoon
If you’ve walked by American Spoon in Petoskey or Harbor Springs and never entered the store or tried their samples, I beg you to reconsider.
Why? Because they carry some of the finest chocolate fudge sauce known to humankind.
It’s made with real cream and bespoke, small-batch chocolate produced by Missouri’s Askinosie Chocolate. It’s equally at home on a sundae or atop a salted caramel pie. Or, eat it by the spoonful. Just do it. No one will ever know.
Askinosie bars, also carried by American Spoon, are another great choice for Valentine’s Day. So is their rich and decadent chocolate hazelnut butter, chocolate granola, and hot cocoa mix.
The secret to a good Valentine’s gift is the packaging. American Spoon can easily craft a gift basket, or try a sundae gift box or festive hot cocoa kit.
If you’d like to buy me a gift, I’ll happily accept the chocolate fudge sauce four-pack.
You won’t be able to walk away with just fudge sauce once you’ve entered the magical land of American Spoon. Check out this delightful gift basket with their creamy hot fudge sauce, rich caramel sauce, and flavorful cherries. Ice cream sundae, anyone? Photo credit: Jen DeMoss
Crow & Moss
Petoskey-based Crow & Moss doesn’t have a storefront, but you should seek their chocolate out, whether locally or online.
Why? Because it’s pure bliss.
Yes, you can get the single-origin Ecuador Camino Verde Dark Chocolate bar, with notes of fudge and a nutty, malty aftertaste. Or the light and fruity India Anamalai bar, grown on an estate in southern India.
But they also provide chocolate with interesting taste combinations. The Vanilla Smoke Dark Chocolate Bar is a particular favorite, as is the Baked Banana Cardamom Dark Chocolate.
For Valentines who can’t stomach dairy, Crow & Moss has the solution: coconut and oat “mylk” bars, such as Coconut Macaroon Cookie and Coconut Mylk, Key Lime Pie Oat Mylk White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Oat Mylk White Chocolate.
You can order online. But if you’re in town, look for Crow & Moss items at Bear Creek Organic Farm, McLean and Eakin Boookstore, and a few other spots from their stockist map.
Once you try a Crow & Moss chocolate bar (or sipping chocolate, or other delights), you won’t be able to stop with just one. The Petoskey-based company carries cool, flavorful bars that make great gifts. Photo credit: Jen DeMoss
Grandpa Shorters
Another downtown Petoskey mainstay is Grandpa Shorters. It’s the kind of store where you can find gifts for just about anyone.
Their gift baskets will be sure to impress anyone with a sweet tooth. While the Candy Cravers Basket isn’t all chocolate, it does include a few Michigan-themed favorites: milk and dark chocolate-covered cherries.
Behold Luci and Carl’s Candy Cabin downstairs at the main store. They’ve got sweets as far as the eye can see, including a table full of craft chocolate bars. Tony’s Chocolonely is a fave among their offerings. It’s a rich, full-flavored, and substantial bar, and you can’t go wrong with it.
Howse’s Fudge and Candy Haus
Howse’s is a Harbor Springs mainstay, with freshly-made candy that you can see being created right behind the counter. The store has been around since 1959 in the cutest vintage brick building in downtown Harbor.
Cashew turtles and chocolate apricots: Remember those words when you enter Howse’s, where you can smell the sugar in the air. These two items, along with chocolate-covered Oreos, will make your Valentine’s sweetie swoon.
You can, of course, go straight for the fudge, with so many flavors. There are huge chunks of chocolate fudge with plugs of caramel and crunchy pecans, the most beautiful Oreo fudge I’ve ever seen, and fluffy chocolate marshmallow.
Howse’s Fudge is located in Downtown Harbor Springs on Main Street. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau.
Kilwins
Founded in Petoskey in 1947, Kilwin’s fine chocolates can be found all over the country, from Colorado to New Jersey. They boast over 150 franchises across the United States.
Their Chocolate Kitchen near downtown Petoskey is a popular place to find confections. It’s kind of like walking into Willy Wonka’s factory without the mortal hazards, and you can see the candy being made.
There’s fudge, of course, in a rainbow of flavors. And on a hot summer day, you could try a cone of fudgie brownie or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Or maybe a chocolate-coated waffle bowl?
But in the spirit of the season, let’s stick to those Valentine’s staples that Kilwin’s offers year-round. Like rich, flavorful truffles, Bavarian creams, raspberry creams, and maple creams. Caramels, peanut tuttles, peanut clusters, chocolate squares, and cherry cordials. And, my personal favorite, buckeyes (sorry Michigan fans).
You can buy these delectable treats by the each or in fancy heart-shaped boxes in Harbor Springs, Boyne City, or Petoskey. Or, order online.
Stepping into Kilwins is like entering a candy kingdom. Grab a box of fresh chocolates for your sweetie or pal, or step up to the counter and select from dozens of incredible fine chocolates.
Murdick’s Fudge and Ice Cream, Petoskey
Located in the heart of Downtown Petoskey, Murdick’s Fudge is home to some of the most amazing fudge, sweets, ice cream, and Petoskey Popcorn Co. This fine fudge place was established in 1887, and continues to be a family-owned establishment. If you’re lucky, you catch some of the action of creating their delightful products. On caramel corn-making day, you can certainly smell those rich smells throughout town.
Popcorn and chocolate lovers can rejoice at the sight of their Traverse City Style Petoskey Popcorn. They take their classic buttery original caramel corn and add dried Traverse City region cherries, finished with a drizzle of milk chocolate. Available in many sizes, you can add this to a gift or make it a gift all by itself with a one-gallon bucket!
Symons General Store
Symons is one of the cutest stores in downtown Petoskey, and their 5 Dragon sandwich is delicious. But I digress; this is a chocolate blog.
For a sweet gift box, how about Symons’ Chocolate Fix? It’s bursting with treats, including dark chocolate almonds and caramel, chocolate cookie crunch popcorn, double dark chocolate shortbread, and more.
Symons also carries a wide selection of chocolate bars, including Ethereal Craft Chocolates, Wildwood Chocolate, Crow & Moss, Ritual Chocolate, and Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate. A few of my faves from their selection: Dick Taylor Dark Black Fig bar, and the Wildwood Berry Berry Bar that’s covered with freeze-dried berries. Also, don’t miss the biggest peanut butter cups I’ve ever seen, stocked right across from the chocolate wall.
The wall of chocolate at Symons stretches almost the entire length of the store, with an impressive array of brands and flavors. While you’re there buying some bars, pick some fancy cheeses, wine, sandwiches, and other treats for your Valentine’s dinner. Photo credit: Jen DeMoss
Off the “eaten” path
Sure, we’ve got plenty of bars, fudge, and truffles to satisfy your Valentine’s cravings. But what about some eclectic options?
For example, a chocolate silk pie or package of dreamy chocolate chip cookies from one of the Sweet and Savory Pie Company’s two locations (in Alanson and Petoskey’s Fresh Market Plaza) would be welcome additions to a Valentine’s repast.
Other bakeries would be happy to supply chocolate-covered or -filled delights to sweeten up your Valentine’s Day. Think chocolate croissants from Gildas’ Lake Street Bakery, or a box of chocolate-glazed donuts from Johan’s Pastry Shop. No doubt the Boutiquerie at Small Batch or Birch Tree Bakery and Cafe would be happy to provide you with chocolatey sweet treats. Or try the Dutch Oven Bakery, Tom’s Mom’s Cookies, or JoJo’s Cookie Co.
Maybe you or your sweetie or bestie or coworker don’t want truffles for Valentine’s. Maybe they want fresh, decadent pastries or other treats, like these fluffy cream puffs and flourless chocolate cake. You can’t go wrong with Gildas’ Lake Street Bakery. Photo credit: Jen DeMoss
Not all these options come in shiny, heart-shaped boxes. But does your Valentine want the tired old sampler from the supermarket for yet another holiday? No? Then try something different, support local businesses, and have a sweet Valentine’s Day.
About the Author: Jen DeMoss is a newcomer to the Petoskey area and loves northern Michigan. You can catch her paddling a canoe, hiking a trail, or swimming in Lake Michigan as often as the weather cooperates. She’d love to help you make the most of your time in this paradise she now calls home.